Difficult to gauge impact of inaugural bonus points for maths

The influence of bonus points for higher-level Leaving Certificate maths is hard to judge from trends across almost 1,300 courses offering places today.

Of some 1,200 courses for which there are corresponding first-round cut-off points from last year, around 200 show an increase of 25 points or more. Of these, 50 are level 7 and level 6 courses.

But the Irish Examiner’s comparison of points for almost 800 level 8 degrees with last year’s entry requirements shows that half — just under 400 — have a higher points premium.